Killarney Guide

Wooden Gate Cider Co. Release Party a rich celebration of vintner craftsmanship and wood-fired pizza

BY KIM LANGEN

In yet another venture of foodie endeavour, energetic Pilot Mound entrepreneurs Clint and Pam Cavers have come up with what is likely their best creation to date.

It’s cider, made with local Manitoba apples, fruits and berries. 

And after 15 years of perfecting his cider-making craft, Clint Cavers and his wife launched their new business in the coolest, country way.

Last month, in 32C heat, they hoisted up the mango umbrellas, set the bottles on ice, and opened the farm gates for their very first Cider Release Party on the premises.

“We have had smaller, invitational events, but this is our first big party,” said Pam Cavers on Friday, June 2. “And we have sold out for the weekend. That’s over 130 people attending, and it’s fantastic. I hope they all have a wonderful time.”

Over the past few years the Cavers have recreated their home, a few miles northwest of Pilot Mound, into a wonderland of cider production facilities, plus a shaded tasting patio area, and an outdoor gravelled space for the parties. 

On Friday evening, Clint Cavers expertly directed the incoming flow of guests driving into the farm yard, guiding them to park in between flourishing young apple trees. 

“I planted these trees exactly so that a truck can drive between them,” he said. “The gravel heaped around the young trees’ trunks helps deter voles, which can be very damaging to the tree bark.” 

As guests approached the wooden entrance gate, a divine glass of Muscat and Malus (apple cider blended with Muscat white wine) was handed to each one, along with a fabulous smile by a server. Inside, oak wood smoke billowed from the chimney of a high-tech portable pizza oven, manned by Red Seal chef Zack Zaharia, who runs the seasonally-inspired Farmer’s Table in La Riviere.

“World Cider Day is June 3, so this was the perfect weekend to celebrate our event,” said Clint Cavers. “We have around 15 ciders to taste, so take your time, and enjoy yourselves. See what you like, and what you don’t like. There are lots of flavours, some very dry, some sparkling, some sweet.”

Beginning with small format ciders, Cavers opened the show with an Earl Grey Tea Cider, and moved through an astonishing list of varied ciders – including Plum Good (made with Pembina Plums), and L’il Fruity (made with chokecherries, sour cherries, raspberries, and saskatoons). 

In the second tasting round, he introduced the guests to his Bourbon-barrel-aged ciders, including Over a Barrel, New/Old Fashioned (aged cherry cider), and Bourbon Blu (an aged Haskap cider).

The third tasting round included bottle-conditioned ciders, made with Nan King cherries, saskatoons, chokecherries, and even rhubarb.

The last round featured the cidery’s reserved shelf of ciders – including Homestead, Red Boyne, Orchard Queen, and Late Harvest. 

In between, Chef Zack continually shaped and stretched dough, and prepped and baked up an endless array of fresh Italian-style pizzas, with toppings that included mozzarella, ricotta, and Golden Prairie cheese; fresh asparagus, rocket, and basil; prosciutto ham and artichoke; fennel salami, and Calabrese sausage, which promptly disappeared as fast as they could be sliced into six pieces.

“All our ciders are unfiltered, which allows them to keep more of their personality, and complex flavours,” said Clint Cavers. “And we don’t use sulphites. There can be a little bit of sediment at the bottom, and that is fine.”

Pam Cavers said that her husband first turned his hand to wine and cider-making about 15 years ago. The couple has explored a number of other local food avenues over the years, including their own on-farm butcher shop, and charcuterie. Farmhouse cider has become another string to their impressive bow. 

“People have this idea that if you start with one venture, you have to keep at it forever,” she said. “But you don’t. It is okay to keep trying new ideas. Clint got started with cider as a hobby, and he is really the expert. I am his helper, and for payment, I am plied with wine.”

To top it off, Clint Cavers announced that in the 2023 Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition, held in Michigan, Wooden Gate Cider came out a massive winner.

“We entered 14 of our ciders, and 13 out of the 14 got medals,” he said. 

The Wooden Gate Cider Release Party event was an unexpected and unequivocal success, and a testament that every location can celebrate its own wonderful array of food wealth. 

The Cavers, along with their family members and relations, put on an excellent party. They were fun and relaxed; the cider was complex, incredibly varied, and quite wonderful; and the seasonal pizza was fresh and delicious. 

Congratulations to this venturesome crew of foodies that made it all happen. It was an inspiring and memorable evening, and a celebration of life, tastes, and tipples in southwest Manitoba.

Wooden Gate Cider is available for direct sales from the cidery itself, with delivery. Cider can also be sold for private events. Customers can also book tastings, and attend other cider events, by contacting the Cavers at 204-245-0636. 

Wooden Gate Cider is located at 18106 Road 64 West, Pilot Mound.  From Hwy #3 turn left (north) at the Esso station and onto Hwy #253, and into Pilot Mound. Then turn right (east) at Road 64, next to the cemetery, and continue until you reach the cidery. You can also check them out at: http://louisemb.com/m/wooden-gate-cider

AWARD WINNING CIDERS IN THE SUN – Champion cider vintner Clint Cavers (right) pours out wonderful samples of his new releases for 2023 for guests during the Wooden Gate Cider Co. Cider Release Party, held at the family’s on-farm cidery near Pilot Mound. It was the first of three solid days of celebration of cider for this up-and-coming Manitoba company.

TOON’D IN AT WOODEN GATE CIDER – Ready for sampling (above), are three rosy bottles of beautifully chilled ‘Toon’d In,’ a dry Saskatoon-berry cider, with medium carbonation, and 5.7 per cent alcohol. This was one of 15 ciders sampled by guests at the excellent Wooden Gate Cider Release Party.

PIZZA HEAVEN – In between the cider tastings, chef Zack Zaharia shovelled out dozens of fresh-inspired wood-fired pizzas for guests at the Wooden Gate Cider Release Party. The slices (ready for cutting in the photo by his wife, Mika Cavers) also made an appearance at Killarney’s Canada Day celebrations – along with the cider!